Editorials

Absentee voting begins Monday on a rare opportunity for Tyler voters that has only come around in six-year increments the last two times.

Over the past dozen years, Tyler has gained recognition as having developed a "model" city government operation envied and copied by others.

Much of the recognition for those impressive attainments has gone to Kevin Eltife, who was mayor for the first six years, and Joey Seeber, who has served the last six years.

In an election May 10, Tyler residents will vote on a successor to Seeber as mayor. Finding the right person to keep the city's positive momentum on track is vital.

Three candidates are on the ballot for the office. Barbara Bass, a certified public accountant and Laura Corbett, a real estate agent. Both cite leadership ability and experience that would qualify them to serve the city well as mayor. Keith Alan Pyron is the third candidate.

Bass is a partner in the Gollob, Morgan, Peddy and Co. accounting firm and has chaired the Chamber of Commerce, the Tyler Economic Development Corporation and several other public service organizations. She is highly respected and has a good record in everything she has undertaken.

Corbett is a former member of the Chamber of Commerce executive committee, an officer of the Greater Tyler Association of Realtors board and past president of the Tyler Hotel Motel Association. She also has served three terms on the Tyler City Council and four years on the Tyler Half-Cent Sales Tax Board.

They are two exceptional candidates and the Tyler mayor's office will be in good hands with either of them. However, we clearly feel Corbett's fiscal policy will keep the city on the track set over the last 12 years. Her six years service on the city council and an additional four years on the half-cent sales tax board are unique qualifications she offers for the job.

Mrs. Bass identified jobs, transportation, the airport and quality of life as the key areas she would tackle as mayor.

An alarming element of Mrs. Bass' vision for attracting new jobs is her stated objective of having money put into a special fund to be utilized by the Tyler Economic Development Council. This is a disturbing departure from the way the city has operated.

Mrs. Bass' campaign material refers to "the necessity of offering incentive packages to untie the hands of the Tyler Economic Development Council."

Setting up an economic development slush fund to be tapped by the Economic Development Council seems to be a duplication of capacity. The TEDC has had as much as $7 million in Industrial Foundation money to use at its whim. Why does it need money from the city when it has been reluctant to use its own resources? Putting public funds in the hand of TEDC is a concept Tyler voters rejected in a 1995 sales tax economic development election.

The city already maintains a sizeable surplus fund as part of its budget. Past policy has been for elected city officials to consider economic development requests or opportunities and make a decision. When the city has been approached about a specific economic development effort, such as the recent Goodyear episode, it has answered the call. A need for a special economic development fund has not been established.

The city of Tyler has everything in place to make it an attractive location for new business and industry with good infrastructure, hospitals, schools and quality of life, plus a low tax rate.

It has a huge surplus that could be tapped for economic development if an unusual opportunity should arise, but that decision should be made by elected city officials, not a board of volunteers.

As was the case with Seeber, Ms. Corbett's six years on the city council and four years on the sales tax board provide her with a global view of what is happening in city government and put her in the best position to help keep it on track as a highly efficient and effective operation.

Ms. Corbett matured and grew in the job as a city councilwoman and has a grasp of what is required to maintain the quality operation for which the city is so widely recognized.

She pledges to keep the city on course, and in a few cases perhaps get back on course on the Blueprint Plan that was the foundation for streamlining the city operation, improving services, lowering property taxes and becoming debt free. She said she wants a new pledge on the half-cent sales tax to "make sure it is used for what it was intended and as promised to citizens."

As Ms. Corbett points out, she had done her homework and would enter the office "up to speed."

Laura Corbett has an enthusiastic confidence that the city of Tyler not only can maintain its lofty standards, but can do even better. She has our strongest endorsement as the best qualified choice to follow the excellent pattern established by Eltife and Seeber.

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